The Right Ending
by free13
Summary: After eight years, Sian is brought back to Weatherfield unexpectedly. What happens when she runs into Sophie? Have they both moved on or are there still unresolved feelings between the two? An idea of how I wish/hope the Sophie/Sian story line could end.
1. Tragedy Strikes

**Author's Note: Hey everyone, I'm new to the whole writing thing so please go easy on me. I haven't been caught up on Corrie so this might not follow events to the tee or be very accurate. Also, I'm not from the UK so feel free to add your own English accent in your head!**

Eight years. It had been eight years since Sian lived in Weatherfield. Eight years since she said goodbye to everyone there. Eight years since her heart was shattered on her wedding day. And now she is forced to come back.

She received the call from a neighbor who said she hadn't seen her father for a couple days. She went over to check on him and found him laying in the chair in front of the tele. The coroner said it was a heart attack. "He went peacefully; didn't feel any pain," the neighbor assured her. That didn't make her feel much better but Sian knew she was trying to be comforting.

Now Sian was stood in front of her dad's house trying to build up the courage to enter. It had been eight years since she last visited that house. Her dad visited her in London at least once a year but it had been over 7 months since she had seen him last. She didn't even know he had cardiac problems. They never talked about him when he visited her. Now she wishes they had.

Sian climbs up the front steps slowly and opens the door to her dad's flat to find it almost the exact same as she remembers. The only thing missing is her dad. Sian puts her bags on the couch and heads out the door. She didn't want to stay there and mope. She knew if she fell into that trap it would be too hard to get out so she decided to go grab a bite to eat. She took the first train from London that morning so she didn't have time to eat breakfast and she was starved.

She was happy to find that her favorite kebab place was still right down the road. God, she hadn't eaten a kebab since the authentic restaurant closed in downtown London two years ago. All of a sudden her mouth began to water and her stomach grumbled at the sight of the shop. Guess she did miss this little town a bit more than she thought.

There were only a couple people in front of her in line, which was a surprise. She used to have to wait much longer to get her food. But then again, so much could have changed since then.

"Hello ma'am what would you like today?" asks the woman at the counter.

The woman looks a little older than Sian but Sian doesn't recognize her. Sian is about to place her order when she hears a voice that stops her breathing immediately. The color in her face drains, her eyes widen, and she feels her heart stop for a fraction of a second. "Ma'm are you okay?" Sian can't answer the cashier. She doesn't know if she can move, nevermind speak. Maybe her ears were deceiving her. It is her first time back in town in a long time so what are that chances that she would run into _her_? Sian uses all of her willpower to turn around to put a face to that voice. Her deepest fear yet greatest dream came true at that moment. As soon as Sian turned around Sophie looked up. Sophie's eyes bugged out of her head, her breathing halted, and her heart skipped a beat simultaneously.

" _Sian?_ " she whispered.

Before Sophie can say anything else, Sian runs past her and out the door without even placing her order. Sian is halfway down the street before she can stop to think and catch her breath.

"Sian? Who's Sian?" Maddie asks Sophie.

"Huh? Oh no one, it's nothing…" Sophie says to her girlfriend.

"Okay… so what do you want to eat babe?" asks Maddie.

"I'm uh… actually not feeling that great so I'm all set" replies Sophie.

"Suit yourself!" Maddie orders her food without questioning Sophie again.

Sophie makes up an excuse about going home to help Rosie and rushes out of the shop with barely a "bye" to her girlfriend. Luckily, Rosie is at the house when Sophie arrives. Both Sophie and Rosie have their own apartments, but they spend a lot of time at home. They think the other doesn't know that it's because they miss each other but no one is fooled.

Sophie practically runs through the door, tripping over a rug and falling into the couch.

"You never cease to amaze me, sis" Rosie mocks.

Sophie just looks up at her with tears threatening the back of her eyes.

"Oh my gosh are you hurt?!" Rosie gasps

"I just saw Sian."

"What? That's impossible! How many years has it been since she's been in town? I heard she lives in London now. You probably just saw someone who looks like her, don't worry."

"No Rosie it was her. I could never forget her face. Trust me I've tried."

As much as Rosie hates to admit it, Sophie's right. Rosie was there for the aftermath. She knows how hard Sophie tried to talk to Sian again. And once she knew there was absolutely no chance of that happening, she tried to forget about her completely. But that never happened and Rosie knew that. After a while Sophie pretended that she was okay. She stopped spending her days in bed and plastered on a fake smile for long enough that she might have actually tricked herself into believing she was alright.

Rosie pulled Sophie in for a hug. "Aw babes I'm so sorry. Did you talk to her? Do you know why she's here?"

"I have no idea. But I don't think she would come back if she didn't have to."

Just then the phone rings and Rosie answers. The person on the other line speaks and Rosie looks surprised but her eyes soften. Sophie can hear the other person's voice and she recognizes that it's Deb, the woman from the Corner Shop. She always loves to gossip and Sophie has never known her sister to pass up a juicy story so she waits for Rosie to get off the phone to tell her what's going on.

Rosie hangs up and stares at Sophie carefully, trying to find the words to tell her.

"For God's sake Rosie just spit it out!" Sophie urges.

"Sian's dad died, Soph."

Sophie's mouth falls open. Her eyes widen and face pales for the second time that day.

"That must be why she's back in town," Rosie explains.

Sophie just looks at her, unable to form any coherent words. Mr. Powers was never Sophie's greatest fan. He kicked Sian out when he found out that Sophie and her were dating. Sian and his relationship was always rocky, but he loved her. He didn't know how to show it, but Sophie knew that he loved Sian and in that moment Sophie's heart broke for her all over again.

"Oh God," Rosie said, "Is she staying there?"

That thought had never even crossed Sophie's mind but Rosie had a good point. Did Sian have to stay in the place where her dad passed?

It was as if Rosie was talking to herself because before Sophie could answer Rosie spoke again. "You know what I'll offer her my place. Jason is out of town and I have a spare bedroom. It would be God awful staying there. I mean, have you seen his living room? It's a designing disaster!"

Ha! Sophie smirked. Leave it to Rosie to turn this into a fashion learning experience. _Wait, is Rosie serious?_

Rosie was out the door headed to Sian's dad's flat before Sophie finished processing what just happened. Rosie was going to offer Sian her place? As if they're just two old mates and the past eight years never happened? Sophie was going to be sick.


	2. Unexpected Visitor

*Knock knock*

 _Who could be knocking? No one knows I'm here yet,_ thought Sian. Rosie was the last person she expected to see when she opened the front door.

"Hiya babes! Can I come in?" Rosie asked. She nudged her way through the door before Sian could answer.

"I know I'm probably the last person you expected to see right now. But I heard you were back in town and I just wanted to offer my condolences. Sian, I am so sorry."

Tears started filling the back of Sian's eyes and she didn't know why. Maybe because Rosie is the first person to say anything to her about her dad and it caught her off guard.

Rosie stepped forward and stretched her arms out to Sian. The second Sian accepted Rosie's hug she couldn't keep it in anymore. Sian felt the tears fight past her eyelids and a sob escaped her throat. But for some reason she didn't care. Oddly enough, Rosie was the first person she felt safe crying in front of. She knew that Rosie wouldn't make fun of her or scold her or say something like "He's in a better place now". That's bullshit. Rosie understands what Sian and her father's relationship used to be like and she knows it's more complicated than a simple "It'll be okay". So Sian let herself cry into Rosie's shoulder and Rosie hugged her tighter.

After a couple minutes, Sian calmed down and broke the hug. She looked at Rosie and saw nothing but compassion.

"So I'm guessing you're staying here?" asked Rosie. Sian nodded. "Well I'm sorry but I don't know how you could stay here when the color of the drapes don't even match the couch! Listen, Jason- (you know that loser I used to go out with? He's my husband now! But anyway) -Jason is away on a business trip and won't be back for a few days. Why don't you stay at my flat? I have a spare bedroom and it's a little closer to town if you need anything."

"Rosie…I…" Sian started but Rosie cut her off. "Sian, please. Honestly I'm a little lonely with my place all to myself and we have some catching up to do!"

Rosie said it in an extremely cheery way but Sian's stomach dropped when she mentioned "catching up". Sian loved Rosie. She thought of her as a sister and she made leaving all those years ago even harder. But she couldn't rehash the past. She just didn't have it in her.

"Rosie I really appreciate that. But right now I think I just want to unpack things here and take a nap. It was a long train and I want to spend a little more time here. But thank you."

"Okay… But Sian please promise me you'll come by if you change your mind or even if you just want to chat with someone."

"I promise. Thanks Rosie."

Rosie gave Sian another quick hug and walked out the door.

Sian was getting ready for a nap when a thought popped into her head. How did Rosie know Sian was in town? She knew most people probably heard about her dad by now since gossip travels around this town faster than a hawk. But no one knew she had actually arrived yet. _Except for the people she saw in the kebab shop_ she thought. Sophie. Sophie had seen her. She must have gone home and told Rosie. But why would Rosie have come over here? Surely Sophie didn't know that Rosie was going to come and chat nevermind offer her a place to stay. This was all too much for Sian to wrap her head around and she drifted off to sleep before she could worry herself any more.

The next day Sian decided to go to the grocery store since she was planning on staying for the week. The night before she woke up from her nap late so she just hung around the flat, ordered in, and watched tele before falling asleep early. She was determined to get out and get some fresh air today so she walked to the little store down the road. Her mind was clouded with thoughts about her show on tele from last night when she ran into the woman in front of her. Sian stammered back and the woman turned around. "Sorry… I just—" Sian looked up and was immediately captured by the bright blue eyes she was all too familiar with. She wanted to bolt again. She wanted to run away, hide under a rock, and never come out. But her feet wouldn't move. Sian tried her best to put on her brave face and find an ounce of confidence. "H—Hi Sophie."

Sophie couldn't believe it. Sian talked to her. Sophie never thought she would see her again and never expected Sian to talk to her even if she did. She realized that she was taking too long to reply so she stumbled out "He—hey Sian." _Wow, lame_ Sophie thought.

"I, uh, sorry I ran into you. Wasn't really paying attention…"

"No no it's okay I was walking too slow anyway. I, er, what are you up to?"

 _Wow Sophie, you have such a way with words,_ Sophie thought to herself.

"I'm just getting groceries to bring back to my dad's flat…"

Sophie saw Sian's expression weaken and her heart sunk.

"Sian…I…I am so sorry. I heard about what happened… I can't imagine what you're going through…"

"I know…It's okay. I mean..." Sian looks up at Sophie and half smiles, "Thanks."

Sophie's eyes brighten at Sian's gaze as she smiles like a fool.

"So, uh, need any help shopping or, uh, anything?" _God Sophie could you make this anymore awkward?_

The corner of Sian's lip raises briefly into a fraction of a smirk and Sophie catches it right before it fades.

"No thanks I think I'm good, I—"

"Hey babe, whatcha doin?" Maddie asks while wrapping her arm around Sophie's waist.

"I, uh… I… Maddie this is Sian. Sian this is Maddie, my…girlfriend…"

Maddie stretches her hand out to greet Sian. Sian unwillingly shakes her hand before pulling away quickly.

"Ahh Sian. It's good to finally meet you." _Sian doesn't like where this is going._ "Sophie has told me absolutely nothing about you but it seems like you two know each other pretty well. So how did you two meet?"

Sian isn't sure if Maddie is being ridiculously sarcastic or not but by the look of fear in Sophie's eyes and the confused look on Maddie's face Sian is pretty sure she isn't joking. Sian plasters on a fake smile and looks at Maddie. "I think that's a story for Sophie to tell you." Sian looks back at Sophie with a hint of maliciousness and a spec of hurt in her gaze and Sophie all of a sudden feels tiny.

"Sorry I gotta go, but it was nice to meet you Maddie," Sian says as she speeds past Sophie and Maddie toward the grocery store. After a few feet she turns her head back and catches Sophie staring back at her with Maddie behind her trying to pull her in the opposite direction. Sian swears she can see into Sophie's soul at that second but she ignores it and turns back around, arriving at the grocery store without a second look.

"Hello! Earth to Sophie!" Sophie has been in her own little world since they ran into Sian on the street and it has not gone unnoticed by Maddie. "Soph, you've been acting weird since we ran into that girl again. Who is she?"

 _She's the love of my life_ , Sophie thinks.

"She's… and old friend. I just haven't seen her in a while that's all."

Apparently that was a good enough answer for Maddie because she simply nodded and then went on again to gossip about her boss at work and a co-worker. Sophie couldn't be bothered to listen. The only thing she could think about was Sian.


	3. Webster Comfort

_Why didn't she tell her girlfriend about me?_

Sian was putting away groceries in the kitchen and couldn't stop thinking about her run in with Sophie, no matter how hard she tried. Maddie had no clue who Sian was. Maybe Sophie was embarrassed. She can see why Sophie wouldn't want to tell her new girlfriend how she had cheated on her ex-fiancée and was found out on their wedding day. That might put a damper on their relationship. But was that it? Maybe Sian just wasn't important enough to mention? It had been eight years…That's a long time. It must be over and forgotten in Sophie's mind by now.  
But Sian hoped it was the first reason. Not only because she still held the tiniest bit of resentment toward Sophie for breaking her heart, but because she wouldn't want to think that Sophie had completely forgotten about her and everything they had. It would be understandable if she had. But Sian hoped she hadn't.

Sian's doorbell rang before she could psychoanalyze the situation even more. Sian opened the door and she was met by an old neighbor carrying a container of food that looked to be brownies.

"Hi Sian. I don't know if you remember be, but I'm Mrs. Weatherbee. I used to take care of you when you were younger and I knew your dad very well. I just wanted to come over here and offer my condolences. I also baked you some brownies. You used to love my brownies when you were little."

Well, she wasn't wrong. Sian did love brownies when she was little and they're still her favorite treat.

Sian said thank you to her old neighbor and retreated back into the flat. The next ten hours were filled with sporadic knocking on her door by neighbors and family friends who had come to check on Sian and bring her some sort of pastry to drown her sorrows with. She received a chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies with a gallon of ice cream, more brownies, and a fruit salad. At least someone was courteous and recognized that she might need something healthy to mix in with all of this chocolate.  
But Sian couldn't eat any of it. It didn't feel right. She would normally call a friend over to have a movie night and pig out with all these delicious desserts, but not when they're sympathy sweets. Sian looked around the kitchen and living room and saw emptiness. She was the only one there. The only living thing in that house, actually. There wasn't even a goldfish or a plant that she could share the space with. It was just her and some furniture. And then it finally hit her. For the first time since she had come back to Weatherfield, her loss settled in. Her dad died. He's gone. There is nothing else in this house that is alive besides her. And that scared Sian. She didn't expect it all to come pounding at her at once. Waterworks exploded from her eyes. Sian didn't understand why she was crying so hard all of a sudden. She had been there for almost two days and the finality of the whole situation was just setting in now? Sian didn't know what to do. She just knew that she didn't want to be alone.

Sian threw on a pair of shoes and a light jacket and walked out the door. She didn't know where she was headed; she just had to get out of that house. She hadn't even realized it had started to rain until she felt her socks start become wet from the puddles on the ground seeping into her shoes. Before she knew it, Sian was standing in front of Rosie's apartment. How did she even remember where Rosie lived? Sian slowly walked up the front steps and knocked on the front door. Rosie answered quickly. Rosie opened the door to find a soaking wet Sian, shivering slightly, and ushered her into the apartment. It wasn't until Sian was inside that Rosie could tell Sian was crying.

"What happened?" asked Rosie.

"My dad is gone" answered Sian. "He's gone and the plants are gone and..." Sian slowed down to try to catch her breath. "I just don't want to be alone," Sian whispered.

Rosie pulled her into a tight hug. Sian didn't understand why Rosie was being so nice, but she really appreciated it.

"Tell you what. We're going to have a girls' night. I have ice cream and rom-coms."

Sian smiled the first real smile she had all day. All she could muster out was "okay."

Rosie went straight to the kitchen and brought back a gallon of chocolate ice cream and two spoons. Now this Sian was okay with. The rest of the night was spent laughing and crying (but only over the movie) and laughing some more. And for the first time since she got back to Weatherfield, Sian slept through the entire night.

*beep* *beep* *beep*

"Arghhhhh!"

Sian's alarm went off. Sian looked at her phone. 7 AM. "Ughh," Sian grunted. Her and Rosie had stayed up well past two in the morning watching movies and talking. Sian was way too tired and unprepared for today to start. She had to meet some extended family at the funeral home to prepare for the wake that evening and the last thing she wanted to do was get out of bed.

"Turn that blasted thing off!" Obviously Rosie wasn't too happy about waking up this early either.

"Sorry" mumbled Sian before she pulled herself up and climbed out of bed.

After a quick shower, Sian got dressed and headed out.

The day dragged on. Sian had no idea how to plan service arrangements, but luckily her long-lost aunt and uncle stepped up. Sian simply followed orders and answered questions when she had to. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her afternoon standing in a room full of people she barely knows, talking about her father and crying over his body. It was so morbid, she thought. Nevertheless, Sian stood in a line with her family, next to her mother and some relative she met maybe twice in her life, and greeted people as they walked in.

 _Three hours? I can barely stand another five minutes of this_ , Sian thought to herself.

The first hour went by rather quickly as friends and acquaintances of her father flooded into the room to pay their condolences. By the time Sian was able to escape the greeting line for five minutes, an hour had already passed.

After getting a drink and using the toilet Sian went back into the room, plastered on her fake smile, and continued the assembly line of hugs and hand shakes. She had no idea her dad knew this many people. Eventually Sian struck up a conversation with a couple of cousins she hadn't seen since she was young. It was refreshing to be able to casually talk to people without having to feel the sympathy oozing out of them. One of her cousins had a job as an accountant in the financial district and the other was going to medical school in London. Sian made sure to get both of their numbers before they left. Having a couple more friends in London was never a bad thing.

Sian looked at the clock. Only 30 minutes left. _Thank god,_ Sian whispered to herself.

She hopped back in line to greet the remaining people trickling in. She didn't pay attention to any of them though. Each face was a blur and they all said the same things. "I'm so sorry for your loss." "Your dad was a good man." Yada yada yada.  
Sian stared at the ground most of the time and looked up briefly whenever someone came to shake her hand. Like clockwork, when the next person approached her, Sian looked up and stuck out her hand for a handshake. But as soon as she looked up, both Sian's hand and mouth dropped simultaneously.

Sophie was wearing a gorgeous black dress with black wedges and a light belt around her waist. She stood slightly taller than Sian and in that moment Sian couldn't breathe. She was shocked, mostly by Sophie showing up, but partly by how amazing Sophie looked. She can pull off any outfit and even turn a wake into a fashion show.

Before Sian could say anything, Sophie leaned in beside Sian so her lips were right next to her ear, "I am so sorry, Sian. So so sorry."

And with that Sophie moved on to shake Sian's mother's hand, hoping Sian's mother didn't recognize her. Fortunately for Sophie, even if she did recognize Sophie, she sure didn't show it.

Sian watched Sophie smile and shake her mother's hand, say a quick prayer, and then walk out of the room.

Sian was stunned. Why would Sophie come? Sian replayed Sophie's words in her head. Sian forgot to breathe again when Sophie leaned into her and she was too nervous and confused that she barely heard what she said. _I am so sorry, Sian. So so sorry._ Sian replayed Sophie's words in her head. Sophie's tone was deep, serious, regretful. Almost like she wasn't just talking about Sian's dad. Her short apology was so heartfelt, so strong, Sian had only dreamed of one like it many years ago.

By the time she had fully processed what had happened, it was time to leave. They would be back tomorrow for the funeral. And then Sian could leave Weatherfield once again and go back home.


	4. Confrontation

The church was beautiful. Stained glass windows lined the walls and brought light into the small church. Although Sian had not been to church as often as she should have, she still knew all of the music. The mass was touching, though Sian zoned out for some of it. Her mind was racing, but she snapped out of her own thoughts when she heard her name being called.

"Sian? Do you want to come up here and say a few words?"

 _Shit._

She hadn't practiced anything. She didn't even know she was going to have to speak. But when every set of eyes turned and fell upon her and she had no choice but to go up to the altar and give a speech. Of course the sound of her heels on the hardwood echoed incredibly loudly in the deadly silent room as Sian took her place up front. She quickly gazed around the room and started to speak.

"H—Hi everyone. Thank you all for coming. This…means a lot to my family, and to me." Sian looked to the front row to gauge everyone's reactions and each person had a small smile on their face, so she continued.

"My dad-was my rock growing up. We didn't always see eye to eye, but he was there for me when I really needed him." Sian's gaze wandered the room while she spoke and her eyes quickly landed on one specific person. Sian's eyes locked with Sophie's and tears immediately started to threaten the back of her eyes. Staring right at Sophie Sian continued, "He helped pick me up from my lowest points, when I was so confused and distraught I couldn't think straight." "And for that, I'm grateful." Sian was speaking directly to Sophie and Sophie felt miniscule under Sian's stare. Sian tried to continue, but when Sophie broke her gaze Sian realized she was still in a church full of people all looking to her for wisdom and comfort. It was too much to handle. Tears started trickling down her cheek and all Sian could manage was a broken "I'm sorry" before she ran down the aisle and out the door, heading straight for the bathroom.

Sian bent over the bathroom sink and splashed water on her face.

 _Pull it together, Sian. You have to be strong,_ Sian told herself.

She barely had 30 seconds alone before someone pushed open the bathroom door and walked in.

Without looking up, Sian snapped "Please leave me alone for a bit, yeh?"

"Sian…." Sophie replied.

Sian squeezed her eyes shut tighter for a couple seconds before reluctantly looking up at Sophie.

"Sian, I—"

"Sophie, don't" Sian stated, anger lacing her voice. "Please just leave me alone."

"Sian, I'm sorry okay?! I'm sorry! Please just talk to me!"

"I don't have anything to say to you!" Sian yelled.

"Then let me talk," Sophie whispered.

"Why are you here?" asked Sian quickly.

"What?" Sophie asked, confused.

"Why. Are. You. Here?" Sian repeated her question, a little more frustrated this time.

"Because I… I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Well I'm not, thanks for checking. I have to go now." Sian side steps and tries to walk past Sophie, but Sophie steps in front of her and blocks her path.

"Sian, please…" Sophie begs. Sian was never strong enough to counter Sophie when she looked that desperate. Well, except for their wedding day. "They won't leave without you, anyway," Sophie reasons.

"Sophie I can't do this right now!" Sian begins to cry again and her words become slightly mumbled. "Today was bad enough, having to talk about my dad, who I barely saw anymore, in front of loads of people who expect me to give this heartfelt speech. And then I see you and I can't understand why you are here or why you care and I just can't deal with you right now! I can't deal with this confusion and heart ache all in one day." Sian rants and finally lets it all out. And surprisingly, she's feels a small weight lifted off her shoulders.

"…You don't understand why I care?" Sophie asks, with a sad, confused tone. "You don't think I care that you're unhappy? You don't think it tears me up inside knowing that you can't even speak to me without one of us falling apart?!" Sophie's eyes began to water while she spoke and her voice cracked as her tone climbed higher.

"Why would you?!" Sian counters. "It's been eight years, Soph!"

Sophie's heart flutters at Sian's use of her nickname. It has been way too long since she's heard it said as beautifully as that, even with both of them emotional wrecks at the moment.

"Yeah, Sian. It's been eight stinkin' years! And then when I saw you at the shop it felt like no time had passed at all. I saw the look of fear and pain on your face and it brought me right back to eight years ago! And now I can't get that look out of my head."

"Well sorry I'm haunting your thoughts. It's not like I wanted to come back and bury my dad." Sian shot coldly.

"That's not what I meant…" Sophie replied softly.

"I don't care Sophie. I don't care what you did or didn't mean… I can't start caring again."

"And you think _I_ want to go through this again?!" Sophie's voice started getting louder. "I was doing okay. It took me a really long time, but I finally stopped waking up screaming in the middle of the bloody night. I told myself I could move on. And I thought I was getting there when I met Maddie. But the second you come back to Weatherfield…" Sophie's voice trails off and she can feel the tears staining her cheeks.

"What Sophie, what?"

"The second you come back to Weatherfield… eight years doesn't make an ounce of a difference. I fall right back in love with you like no time passed."

Sian didn't expect that, exactly. She stares at Sophie for a couple seconds, mouth agape.

"So yes Sian, I do care about you. I care about you a lot. And really…I couldn't stop, even if I wanted to."

Sian releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She opens her mouth to speak when the bathroom door comes crashing open.

"Sian? Oh heavens we've been looking everywhere for you. Come on, we have to go. Everyone is waiting," Sian's aunt insists.

Sian looks to her aunt with an almost pleading look, but it's useless. She knows that she has to leave. She's been hiding far too long already.

Sian looks back at Sophie and Sophie swears she can see a glint of sorrow and remorse in Sian's eyes before she turns back around and walks out with her aunt.

Sophie doesn't attend the funeral. She decides it might not be appropriate, especially after just pouring her heart out to Sian and herself at the same time.

Sophie had not come to terms with what Sian's return meant to her. At least not until she was stood in front of Sian in the bathroom, speaking her thinking process out loud and realizing she was still in love with Sian just as she let it slip out of her mouth.

So instead, Sophie goes home and tries to clear her head. She really just needs a nap. When Sophie gets home, she plops on her bed and falls asleep rather quickly. The first thing that comes to her mind is Sian. Her dreams are collections of moments she and Sian shared oh so many years ago. The first ones replay their first kiss, and their first date. Next come flashbacks of her and Sian at choir rehearsal and at school, happy to be in their own little world. She dreams about them running away together, even if it was only for a weekend. And then she flashes back to that New Year's Eve when they spent that first night together. Although she had no idea, Sophie had a smile on her face the entire time she was dreaming.

However, shortly after, Sophie's dreams turn into nightmares. She relives some of her nastiest fights with Sian. She recounts her accident on the roof of the church. And finally, Sophie's dreams lead her to the white church on that December afternoon. All Sophie remembers about her dream is sobbing. Lots and lots of sobbing. And screaming Sian's name over and over, sending herself into a panic attack in front of the entire reception.

Sophie wakes up with tears streaming down her face. She starts shaking and crying even harder. She hasn't had a dream like that in ages and she almost forgot the pain of waking up to an empty bed beside her with Sian eight years and hundreds of miles away. Except this time, she wasn't hundreds of miles away.


	5. New Beginning?

Sophie jumps out of bed, throws on her shoes, and runs out the door. She doesn't know where she's headed, she just knows that she has to talk to Sian. Sophie remembers that Rosie was going to offer Sian a place to stay, so Sophie runs to Rosie's flat. She bangs on the door very loudly and it only takes a few seconds for Rosie to answer.

"What in the bloody hell?!" Rosie opens the front door. "Sophie. God are you mad? You could've knocked the door down!"

"Rosie I need to talk to Sian. Is she here?"

"Sorry babe, you just missed her. She said she was going out for a walk or something."

Sophie doesn't even say goodbye to Rosie. She turns around and sprints toward the train station. Whenever she or Sian "went for a walk" or had to think, that's where they would always go.

Sophie slows to a jog and eventually a quick walk as she sees Sian sitting on the bench in front of the station. "Their" bench. At least it had been for many years. Sophie stops and stares at Sian for a moment, briefly questioning if this was a good idea. But she hadn't come all the way here just to turn around and walk back home. So Sophie slowly approaches the station, not wanting to startle Sian.

Sian can almost sense Sophie's presence. When Sophie is halfway across the street Sian looks up and locks eyes with Sophie. She holds her gaze for maybe two seconds before she looks back down at her legs that are criss-crossed underneath her on the bench. Sophie slowly climbs the stairs and sits on the other side of the bench, careful not to get too close to Sian. It had started to drizzle, but even with her hair all wet and disheveled, Sian still looked absolutely beautiful. Sophie was always jealous of that.

They sit in silence for almost a minute before either of them gains the courage to speak.

"You just gonna sit there and interrupt my thinking all night?" Sian asks impatiently.

"Well you ruined my nap so I think we're even," Sophie replies.

Sian looks at her confused, but Sophie just smirks. Her smile quickly drops though and her face turns cold.

"I need to talk to you Sian."

"Yeah well, right now isn't really the best time."

"Oh really, well could you tell me when a good time would be then?" Sophie replies impatiently. "I can't keep doing this Sian. Running into you and not being able to say what I need you to hear…"

"Funny. I don't recall you ever before caring to tell me how you feel" Sian fires back.

Sophie looks up at Sian and meets her eyes for a brief second. Sian looks away as fast as she can, but not before seeing the pain and sadness filling Sophie's eyes.

"Please, Sian. Give me five minutes. Let me explain—"

"Explain?! Sophie there is nothing you could explain to me that I haven't already figured out. Explaining anything isn't going to make a difference."

"Just let me try. Please."

Sian crosses her arms and sits back with a grunt, allowing Sophie to talk but refusing to face her. Sian just stares out across the street.

"Sian… I…" Sophie looks at Sian and can see that Sian is using everything she can not to look over at Sophie. And that breaks Sophie's heart. She never wanted Sian to be afraid of her.

Sophie chokes out the next few words, forcing Sian to give into her willpower and sneak a look at Sophie sitting next to her. "I am…so unbelievably sorry. I'm sorry that you lost your dad. I'm sorry you had to come back to Weatherfield. I'm sorry you had to run into me. I'm sorry you had to leave in the first place. And I'm sorry that—" Sophie sniffles and tries to pull herself together to continue. "I'm sorry that I ruined the best thing that could possibly happen to me."

Sian slowly turns and faces Sophie, watching her as she continues.

"Sian I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness. I know that I deserve any heartache and any pain that I caused. And I know that you didn't deserve any of it. You deserve the most glamorous life. And you deserve all the happiness in the world. And I don't know why I am just telling you this now. I should have told you this ten years ago because nothing has changed since then. I thought it had. I knew eventually that you had to have moved on. And there was no way to find you. So I picked myself up too, and I carried on. I was able to fake a laugh and smile so much that it almost seemed real. And eventually I couldn't tell the difference anymore between pretending to be happy and actually being happy. So I went with it. And if felt pretty good. And then… you come back. Out of the blue. I turn around one day and there you are, standing in front of me at a kebab shop of all places. And I'm right back to our Wedding Day. Right back to that last moment I saw you, when you told me that you hate me, got in the car and I never heard from you again. But I promise you Sian. I never wanted any of that. I never thought it would get to that point."

"Then why did you let it? Why did you do it Sophie?"

"I was lonely! You were off at Uni and I was left by myself. I could only imagine how many lads tried it on with you…"

"So you didn't trust me?"

"Of course I trusted you! I didn't trust them. You know how they work. They butter you up and get you splattered and the next think you know, you wake up in bed with them. I just…I couldn't handle thinking that you could be with someone else."

"So you decided to get with someone else as punishment?!"

"No! It…it wasn't like that. Amber was just…there. She meant NOTHING. She gave me attention and made me feel like more than just a burden waiting at home…"

"Wow Sophie, that's real nice. You thought so highly of me."

"Sian you were never there! Even when I needed you with all the shit with my family, you were always away. And I couldn't take the stress anymore. I just needed someone to talk to because you just weren't there! And then one night she got me drunk. Intentionally. And she made me open up and be vulnerable. And then…she kissed me. And I kissed her back. I was drunk. And I just wanted to feel _something_. And that was it! I should have told you as soon as it happened. I shouldn't have rushed into anything. And I shouldn't have proposed. Because maybe if I waited, we wouldn't be having this conversation after not seeing each other for eight bloody years. And maybe we could have worked things out. No, I know we could have. Because if that taught me anything, it was how much I loved you. And how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And none of that has changed, Sian. I can't explain it. When I look at you it feels like someone is stabbing me ten thousand times in the heart but giving me life over and over every time. I love you Sian. I always have, and I always will. It doesn't matter how far away you are or if you never talk to me again. Because you are the _only_ person I could ever love like this. And I know that you probably still hate me. And that's fine. I deserve that. But I promise you Sian that any resentment or disgust you have for me is nothing compared to how I feel about myself. Because you can't possibly hate me as much as I hate myself for letting you go."

Sian stays quiet for a minute, trying to process everything Sophie just said. Sophie's heart is in her throat while she watches Sian think. Finally, Sian looks up at her and sighs.

"I could never hate you Sophie."

"What?" Sophie didn't expect that.

Sian shakes her head, "I could never hate you."

"But you said…"

"Well can you blame me?! I was shocked and embarrassed Sophie! And I just had my heart shattered into pieces ON MY WEDDING DAY. What, did you think I would just say it's okay that you cheated on me and lied to me for months? That it's okay that our entire engagement is a lie?! How did you think I was gonna react?!"

"I don't know Sian! I tried telling you so many times and I just…I couldn't. I didn't want to ruin us.  
But Sian you said you _hated_ me. Do you know what that meant to me?! You told me before that you could _never_ hate me!"

"And it's true Sophie! God…I wanted to hate you. Oh I really wanted to hate you. I should've hated you. …But I couldn't. Because, I still loved you. One moment doesn't change years' worth of feelings. "

Sophie listens to Sian, not really able to process everything she is telling her. She doesn't hate her? She never did? Sophie doesn't believe it.

"I said I hate you because that was the cruelest possible thing I could think of. I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me. And I knew that would do it…"

Sophie was speechless. All she could mutter out was, "Wow."

Sian looks down at her hands for a few moments and then takes a deep breath before looking back at Sophie.

"But just because I said it doesn't mean it's true. I could never hate you Sophie...I could never stop loving you, either."

Sophie's heart thudded against her chest. Did she hear that right? Sian might still love her? Sophie's chest filled with warmth and love and she felt like the happiest girl alive. And a second later it all came crashing down. _No, it can't be right. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve her._

Sophie's smile faded and as she looked up at Sian tears filled her eyes once again.

"No, Sian, you can't…" Sophie struggled to find the words.

"I don't deserve you Sian. You deserve better. You deserve to love someone who makes you happy."

"Hah" Sian almost laughs, "It's funny cause you make me happy."

Sophie looks to Sian confused.

"I can't help it. I want to be mad at you. I should be mad at you. But then you come to my dad's wake and funeral and you give me a simple reassuring smile but all of a sudden I feel…happy. Almost like old times…" Sian averts her gaze away from Sophie so she can hide the tears threatening to fall.

"Sian. Please look at me," Sophie's voice cracks as tears flow down her face.

Sian continues to stare at the ground for a moment or two but eventually meet's Sophie's eyes.

"Look, I know that nothing I can do or say can change what has already happened. But obviously, we had something. If what we had wasn't important then we wouldn't be here right now and I wouldn't still be completely and utterly in love with you. And you wouldn't still be here talking to me. So it's gotta mean something. Look, I'm not asking for any commitment or anything. I'm not asking for us to pick up where we left off. We're obviously different people now…and I'd like to get to know you again. And I'd _really_ like for you to get to know me again. So please Sian, can we maybe, start over? Completely fresh."

Sian contemplates and Sophie can see her inner struggle play in her eyes.

Finally, Sian looks up at Sophie and stretches out her hand. "Hi, I'm Sian, it's nice to meet you."

Sophie beams. "Hi, I'm Sophie, it's a pleasure to meet you Sian."

 _Hey, it's a start,_ Sophie thinks.

For the next hour, they go on talking about their lives now. Sian tells Sophie about her job in London and Sophie goes on about her kids she teaches at the elementary school. Sian catches up on Sophie's family drama and soon it seems as if eight years had never passed.

Neither girl realizes how late it is until the sun starts setting.

Sophie looks at Sian, admiring her beauty.

"Thank you, Sian."

Sian smiles.

"So I don't want to rush anything, but… I'll just say this how I normally would try to pick up a gorgeous bird. Ahem. Sian, I had a wonderful time talking to you. You're beautiful and amazing and I would really love to take you out. Will you go on a date with me?"

Sophie mentally prepares herself for a rejection. It has only been, what, like an hour since they "made up"?

"Yes"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, why not? It's been fun talking to you again, Soph."

Sophie smiles at the ground at the use of her nickname. She had forgotten how nicely it came off of Sian's tongue.

"So I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow then?"

"Can't wait."


	6. Bundles of Nerves

Tomorrow comes surprisingly quickly. Both girls spend so much time stressing: stressing over what they're going to wear, what they're going to say, do they hug when Sophie picks Sian up? What exactly is the protocol for going on a date with your ex-fiancée of eight years? Luckily, Rosie is there to calm both girls down.

"Sophie, chill out. It's not like you haven't taken her out on a date before," Rosie reasons.

"Rosie, this is so different, you know that. At least before I knew where we stood, what we were. God, I think I'm gonna be sick. I can't do this. I'll just call Sian and–"

Rosie cuts Sophie off as soon as she sees where that thought was going. "Sophie Webster don't you even think about it. You've been waiting for this chance for eight bloody years. I swear if you screw this up I will personally beat you senseless."

"Gee Rosie, way to calm my nerves," the sarcasm drips from Sophie's voice.

"Whatever babes, you know it's true. Now get dressed. You're picking Sian up in less than an hour. Do you have the reservations?"

"No Rosie, I decided it would be best to show up at the most popular restaurant around and hope the wait was less than two hours… Of course I have the reservations!" Did Rosie really think Sophie wasn't competent enough to know how to plan date? _Sure, I'm nervous but give me a little bit more credit, yeh?_ Sophie thought to herself.

"Woah it was just a simple question! Gosh, you ask for my help and then yell at me in the next breath."

"Actually, I didn't ask for your help…" Sophie reminds her sister.

"And that right there should tell you how lost you are! But fine, have it your way." Rosie walks out of Sophie's room and closes the door quite loudly behind her.

Sophie feels a pang of guilt but then sees her bedroom door open slightly.

"Good luck, Soph! Go get your girl." Rosie peaks her head one last time to end things on a positive note and wish Sophie luck. She really did want this date to go well for her sister. She missed Sian too, although she'd never admit that to Sophie.

While Sophie gets ready for her date, Rosie decides to quickly sneak back to her flat to check in on Sian. As soon as Rosie unlocks the front door she hears a loud "Arrgghhhh!"

Rosie immediately runs to the spare bedroom as fast as she possibly can while still sporting her four inch heels.

"Sian are you okay?! What happened?" Rosie urges. Sian turns around to face Rosie, her face flushed and her bottom lip pouting out.

"I have no idea what to wear!" Sian cries.

"Oh my god Sian, you scared me half to death! I thought you were hurt or something!" Rosie lets out a sigh of relief, although she's a little upset she risked her life climbing stairs two at a time and damaging her favorite shoes.

"You of all people Rosie know the crisis of a fashion disaster!" Sian contends.

"Touche," Rosie responds and steps into the closet to begin her role as fairy god mother.

 _When these two finally work things out I better be getting a fruit basket or something for all my trouble_ Rosie thinks to herself.

Fifteen minutes later, Sian is applying the finishing touches of her makeup.

"Okay, time for the big reveal!" Rosie shouts into the bathroom.

Sian steps out and Rosie's jaw drops slightly. Sian looks absolutely gorgeous in a sparkling red dress, gripping her body in all the right places. It cuts at about mid-thigh, showing off her perfectly tanned and toned legs that make up almost half of her body. Sian's hair is down and curled to perfection and her smoky eye compliments her outfit nicely.

"Hot damn, I do fabulous work!" Rosie brags. "You look amazing, Sian."

"Thanks, Rosie. Really, thank you."

"Anytime, babes. But I best be going. I have a couple errands to do. But I expect all the details as soon as you get home!"

"Will do. Thanks, Rosie." Rosie heads out the door and turns to walk back toward her parents' house. She lied about having errands to do. Unless you count seeing Sophie off and making sure she hasn't gone completely insane in the past 20 minutes an errand.

 _Gosh, these girls owe me._

Sophie pulls up to Rosie's flat at seven on the dot. With some last minute words of encouragement from Rosie, Sophie pulls herself together and decides that if she's going to do this, she's going to do this right. So when Sophie stops in front of Sian's house, she gets out of the car and walks up the stairs to the front door. Within seconds after ringing the doorbell, Sian opens up the door and steps out in front of Sophie.

"Wow" immediately slips out of Sophie's mouth, unintentionally. She planned an opener, even had a cheesy one-liner ready to go because she knew Sian got a kick out of those. But her mind went blank when she saw Sian looking even more beautiful than she could remember. Scratch that, except for their wedding day. Sian never looked so beautiful on that day…

Sophie immediately shakes her head, trying to rid the memory from her mind. Sian laughs, understanding that Sophie didn't mean for her compliment to slip out.

"I could say the same about you," Sian replies honestly. Sian was taken aback by Sophie's appearance. She was donning a navy blue strapless dress, slightly looser than her own, but shaped Sophie's body in a way that was irresistible. Sophie's hair was down and straight, and Sophie looked radiant.

Sophie blushes at Sian's comment, flattered and relieved that she hadn't made things awkward right off the bat. Sophie had forgotten how easy it was for Sian to make her feel like a princess.

"Ready to go?" Sophie asks happily. Sian nods and takes Sophie's hand in her own. Sophie feels a shock travel up her arm and radiate into her heart. She missed the feeling of Sian's hand holding hers. Their hands fit together so perfectly. No one else's hand ever felt so right in Sophie's.

Sian just smiles up at Sophie, knowing exactly what she was thinking. When they get to the car Sophie opens up the passenger door for Sian, helping her in and releasing her hand once she's seated in the car.

"And who says chivalry is dead?" Sian joked. Sophie smirks and shuts the passenger door before walking around the car to get into the driver's seat.

"So where are we going?" Sian asks.

"It's a surprise," Sophie plays. Sophie knows Sian loves surprises. At least, she used to. And Sophie was right. Sian smiles at Sophie's answer, her legs starting to bob up and down from excitement.

It was a short ride to the restaurant. The time was filled with singing along to songs on the radio and laughing at each other's theatrics. Both had to admit, it felt like they were teenagers again, going for a nice drive on a summer night.

When they pull up to the restaurant, Sian looks out the window and her eyes go wide.

"Oh my gosh, Sophie, we're eating here?!" This is the most expensive restaurant in town. Not to mention the most popular.

"How can we even get in? Look at the line!" The line to get in was at least 10 people long, so the wait must have been at least an hour.

Sophie smirked. "You underestimate me, my dear."

Sophie pushes through the crowd of people waiting to be seated with Sian in tow. Sophie approaches the reservation desk and see a woman standing behind it, looking down at a sheet of paper. Sophie clears her throat and the woman looks up.

"Ahh Sophie! Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?" the woman exclaims. She pulls Sophie in for a hug, a huge smile plastered on her face. "I was so excited when you called! I was starting to lose hope you would ever come and visit," the woman laughs.

Sian doesn't recognize her so she figures Sophie must have met her after their whole ordeal.

Sophie looks at Sian then looks back to the woman and says, "Sian, this is Alice. I worked with her at my old school. Alice, this is Sian."

Sian reaches out her hand to shake Alice's and smiles. Sophie and Alice seemed like really good friends and it was nice meeting someone important in Sophie's life again.

"Well, let me get you two seated!" Alice checks the seating chart and realizes that it will probably be a couple minutes wait. She wants to give Sophie and Sian the best seat in the house, and the couple currently sitting there just finished their dessert.

Alice tells Sophie and Sian this and encourages them to sit down in the waiting area for a few minutes until the table could be busted and reset. Sian goes to sit down a few feet away from Alice and Sophie and Alice takes the opportunity to ask Sophie a question that has been on her mind since she arrived.

"So Sian's a gorgeous girl, eh?" Alice prods. Sophie knows where this is going.

"She absolutely is," Sophie responds.

"So…is this like a date?" Alice asks innocently.

"I sure hope so! I wouldn't spend this much money on just anyone," Sophie jokes.

"So, what about Maddie?" At the mention of Maddie's name, Sian's ears perk up. She can just barely hear Sophie and Alice's conversation. She feels a little guilty for eavesdropping but this was important. Sian had forgotten about Maddie, Sophie's girlfriend. So yes, Sian wanted to know, what about Maddie?

Sophie could sense the question coming and just smiled.

"I broke it off yesterday," Sophie sighs. "I liked her, I really did. But seeing Sian made me realize that I am never really going to get over her. And now that she's here, even if it's just for a little bit, I have to at least try to win her back. I would never forgive myself if I let her go again without a fight," Sophie answers honestly.

Immediately after she finishes her sentence, Sophie feels someone wrap their hands around her waist and place a soft kiss on the back of her neck. Sian heard the entire conversation, and although she didn't want Sophie to know she was listening, she couldn't help show Sophie her appreciation for what she did.

Sophie turns around and her smile is matched by the one on Sian's face. They can't help but sink into their own world when Alice interrupts.

"Okay you two, your table is ready!" Alice hadn't seen Sophie this happy in, well, ever, so she decided to let her have a moment with Sian before she announced that they could be seated.

Any fear and nervousness Sophie was harboring was washed away by Sian's touch. She didn't know Sian was listening, but she was really glad she was. Sophie was dreading having to tell Sian about Maddie and go through the details. Now that Sian knew she was out of the picture, Sophie hoped it would stay that way.


	7. Second First Date

And it did. Dinner was magnificent. The food was delicious, the wine was tremendous, and the company was fabulous. Any potential for awkward silences was ruined by meaningful eye gazes or laughter or casual flirting. At the end of the meal, Sophie paid the check, but not without an argument from Sian trying to convince her to split the bill.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm taking you out. That means that you are my date and that means that you don't get a say in the check." Sian realizes Sophie isn't going to give in, so she relents.

"Fine. I guess I'll just have to find some other way to repay you" Sian smirks.

Sophie's cheeks turn bright red and she quickly buries her face in the checkbook, pretending to read the numbers very closely.

On their way out, Alice winks at Sophie and Sophie smiles back, mouthing 'thank you' before walking out the door.

"Thank you for dinner, Soph. That was amazing," Sian says wholeheartedly.

"You're very welcome. But the date's not over yet!" Sophie says excitiedly.

"Oh really?" Sian was a little surprised but she should have known Sophie would plan an after-meal date part two.

After helping Sian into the car, Sophie hops in the driver's seat and heads out of the parking lot. After about 15 minutes Sophie parks the car in a parking garage and tells Sian to get out of the car and close her eyes.

Sian doesn't know where they are going, but she trusts Sophie, and without a second thought closes her eyes and allows Sophie to carefully tie a blindfold around her eyes.

Sophie leads Sian outside and onto a boardwalk.

"Okay, ready?" Sophie asks Sian.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Sian asks jokingly. Well, half jokingly.

"If I was going to kill you, I don't think I'd answer that question truthfully," Sophie jokes back.

Sian gasps and rips off her blindfold, revealing a boardwalk full of arcade games, carnival rides, and fried food all less than twenty feet away from where they are standing.

"Oh my gosh Soph, I've been dying to go here!" Sian exclaims. She turns around and is met with Sophie's shimmering eyes and trademark smirk.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Sophie replies. Sian quickly pulls Sophie in for a hug and Sophie's body feels like it's on fire. Though it only lasts a few seconds, it was the best hug Sophie had received in eight years.

When Sian pulls back, she grabs Sophie's hand and then turns around, heading straight for the games.

An hour later, Sophie had won Sian a giant stuffed teddy bear from a football game and Sian had won a puppy from a darts game that she happily awarded to Sophie. They decided to go on a couple rides and then shared a waffle once they realized they were a bit hungry. It was getting late and the boardwalk was going to close soon, but Sophie had one last surprise. She tugs on Sian's hand and leads her to the ferris wheel. Sian looks up at it, finally taking in just how big it actually is.

Sophie reads the nervousness on Sian's face so she squeezes her hand lightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be right there with you. Plus, I heard you can see the lights in London from the top!" Sophie says excitedly.

How could Sian say no to that face?

The two girls climb into the carriage and Sian relaxes into Sophie's side with Sophie's arms wrapped around her waist.

The ferris wheel begins moving and both girls simply enjoy the view—both the view of the city and of the woman next to them. Sophie was right, you could see London from the top. It was actually beautiful. And the stars seemed almost close enough to touch.

Luckily for them, the ride stops to let passengers off just as they reached the very top for the third time.

Sian looks over at Sophie who is staring out into the night.

"What are you thinking about?" Sian asks gently.

"Just how lucky I am right now." Sophie smiles and Sian returns her smile.

"Thank you for tonight, Soph. I've had more fun with you tonight than I've had in a long time," Sian confesses. After a moment she adds, "I missed this."

"I missed you too, Sian" Sophie admits. She knows that isn't exactly what Sian said, but she knew she meant that too.

Sian smiles at Sophie's words and all of a sudden heat rises to her face. Sian looks into Sophie's eyes, seeing honesty, love, a little fear, and the slightest hint of pain. Sian's first instinct is to take all of Sophie's pain away.

Sian's gaze moves from Sophie's eyes down to her lips and lets her eyes hover there for a moment. She looks back up to Sophie's eyes, which are now distracted by Sian's lips. Both girls slowly lean in, not daring to breathe for fear they will ruin the moment. Their lips meet and fireworks explode. Literally. Someone set off fireworks at the end of the boardwalk.

Sian smiles into the kiss, breaking it accidentally. But neither girl speaks. Both girls are so happy that words seem superfluous. Sian smiles again, but Sophie fears any movement will break Sian out of this trance. So Sophie stays still until Sian cups her face with her hands and pulls her closer. Finally, Sophie's radiant smile breaks out just as their lips crash together. Sophie deepens the kiss, wanting to remember every detail of Sian's mouth. After a few moments, both girls break the searing kiss in need of air.

"Wow." That's all Sophie could muster.

"You seem to be saying that a lot tonight," Sian laughed.

"What can I say? You turn me into a bubbling idiot," Sophie says proudly.

The rest of the ride is spent in comfortable silence with both girls holding onto the other, secretly scared of losing physical contact.

As they get off the ride, Sophie takes Sian's hand in hers and they begin their walk back to the car.

When they arrive back at Rosie's flat, Sophie gets out of the car first and walks around to the other side to open the door for Sian. They walk hand in hand up to the front door.

"I had a really wonderful time tonight," Sophie says.

"Me too," Sian smiles. They lean in for a chaste kiss and Sophie's heart soars.

But as they break apart, something pops into Sophie's head and her heart sinks.

"Hey Sian?"

"Yeah Soph?"

"Um… I just uh remembered… um… when do you leave?"

"The day after tomorrow…" Sian answers, sadness evident in her tone.

Both girls are silent for a moment and Sophie tries to suppress that lump in her throat. She is about to speak when Sian cuts in.

"Soph," she says to get Sophie's attention. "Look, tonight was better than I could have even imagined. I never expected this to happen. But I'm really glad it did. Can we please just be happy tonight and not worry about anything right now? Please?" Sian asks almost pleadingly. She just wanted to be happy. She didn't want any drama or sadness. She just wanted to live in this moment and be happy with Sophie.

Sophie smiles at Sian's wish. Sophie would be happy living this night over and over again forever, so she was perfectly content living her dream a little while longer. "Yeah, absolutely."

"Good. Because I'd really like to kiss you again..." Sophie's mouth nearly drops open, but she stops herself, playing it off as a very wide smile.

Sophie leans in and her lips capture Sian's in a very passionate kiss. Sophie tries to convey all her feelings to Sian in that moment. Her urgency, her love, her lust, her passion… it all combines in one head whirling kiss that leaves Sian breathless.

"Wow," Sian says.

"Hey, that's my line!" Sian laughs and pulls Sophie into a tight hug.

"Goodnight, Soph," Sian says as she squeezes Sophie's body infinitely closer to hers.

"Night, Sian," Sophie replies, closing her eyes and reveling in the embrace.

Sophie breaks the hug and places a soft kiss on Sian's cheek before turning around and walking back to her car.

"Hey Soph!" Sian calls out.

Sophie turns around. "See you tomorrow?" Sian asks.

"Yeh, see you tomorrow. Goodnight!" Sian can see Sophie's eyes light up, causing Sian's eyes to react the same way. They both smile at each other one last time before Sophie drives off and Sian goes inside.


	8. I Wanna See You Be Brave

Sophie stretches and opens her eyes, realizing she just had the best sleep she had in years. She looks at her phone which tells her it's mid-morning and too early for her to be this awake. But her heart starts racing as soon as memories from the previous night fill her head.

They were memories…right? Suddenly Sophie panics. Was last night only a dream? She had hundreds of dreams before where Sian came back to her, but none of them felt that real.

Sophie quickly unlocks her phone and searches for proof that she had not dreamt the best date of her life. She's sighs, extremely relieved, when she finds a selfie of her and Sian from the ferris wheel last night. The picture captures both girls' radiant happiness with Sophie's arm laid gently around Sian's neck and Sian's hand resting on Sophie's knee. Sophie smiles and decides to send Sian a "good morning" message. Sophie never had the heart to delete Sian's number from her phone, holding onto that tiny bit of hope she would call her one day. So Sophie pulled up a new text message to Sian and wrote "Good morning (:". She hit the send button before she had the chance to rethink her own words. _Was the smiley face too much? Too formal? Too informal? Does she even still have my number? What if she thinks I'm some creepy stalker?_ Sophie's mind ran wild with questions until she decided there was no use in worrying as it was already sent. And read according to her phone.

Sophie eagerly waited for Sian's response, attempting not to look at her phone every 7 seconds but failing. After 10 minutes Sophie started to worry but figured Sian probably saw the text and fell back to sleep. She would talk to her later. After all, Sian was the one who asked to see Sophie the next day.

Sophie made herself breakfast and then busied herself with errands for half of the afternoon. She tried not to overthink Sian's lack of response but a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach told her something wasn't right. She pulled out her phone and typed out "How was your morning?" sending the text to Sian.

By the time Sophie had bought groceries and dropped them off at home, it was mid-afternoon and she still had not heard from Sian. Her stomach clenched when she looked at her phone one last time to find no new notifications, so Sophie ran out the door and headed straight for Rosie's .

Sophie pounded on the door relentlessly until a highly annoyed Rosie came into view.

"What the hell are you doing, Sophie?!"

"Is Sian here?"

"No, she said she had to go somewhere and then left almost an hour ago."

"Did she say when she'd be back?" Sophie was starting to get nervous.

"She didn't say, Soph" Rosie replied, starting to hear the worry in her sister's voice.

"Soph, I wouldn't worry too much. When she got home last night it was like she was love drunk. I asked her about the date and she explained everything. She was so happy. I'm sure she'll be back soon. Do you want to come in and relax until she gets back?"

"Sure, thanks Rosie." As much as a pain her sister can be, Sophie is thankful for Rosie knowing just how to calm her down.

Sophie walks into Rosie's living room and notices everything has been straightened up. Blankets have been neatly folded on the couch, the pillows are placed neatly at either end of the couch, and any trace of food has vanished.

"Oh, you shouldn't have cleaned for little ol' me!" Sophie joked to her sister. This comment surprised Rosie as she hadn't even noticed the new condition of the room.

"Very funny. You know Sundays are my cleaning days and I never do this good of a job! Sian must have tidied things up," Rosie said simply.

Sophie smiled, knowing how adamant Sian would get about being neat. Sophie walked past the guest room to head to the bathroom when something caught her eye. Or rather, nothing caught her eye. Sophie took a couple steps back and looked into the guestroom where Sian had been staying and it was immaculate. It could have been used as a model room for the a hotel. But looking around the room, Sophie noticed that there was no trace of Sian being there. Whatsoever.

"Um Rosie, did Sian bring any clothes or anything with her here?" Sian asked slightly nervous.

"Yeah of course, they're right over—" Rosie points to a corner of the room where Sian had kept her suitcase for the past few days but it wasn't there.

"Maybe she moved it into another room while she was fixing up…" Rosie hopefully replies. She sees the wheels turning in Sophie's head and can't help but start to worry herself.

Sophie immediately checks every foot of the flat for any trace of Sian, but finds nothing.

"She could have moved back into her dad's place for the night. You know, since it's her last night here and everything," Rosie offers, but Sophie knows that's not the case. Besides the fact that Sian had avoided her dad's place the entire time she had been there, Sophie finally understood the sick feeling in her stomach that had been torturing her all day. Sian had run.

Sophie turns around to face Rosie who almost breaks out into her own tears at the look on Sophie's face. A look of realization combined with confusion, sadness, and immense pain grace Sophie's face and it's enough to make any grown man shed a tear. Rosie doesn't even get two words out before Sophie runs out of the house, heading straight for the train station.

Sophie is immediately relieved when she sees Sian sitting on the bench with some piece of paper in her hand. Obviously she hadn't left yet. But as soon as the relief hits her, Sophie's anger and sadness take ahold of her emotions and march her up the steps in front of Sian.

Sian doesn't see Sophie coming; she continues to stare at the ground until she sees a shadow in front of her.

When Sian looks up, Sophie's pained look forces out a sob from Sian and her tears start falling faster.

"Why?" is all Sophie can mutter in barely a whisper.

"Because I love you!" Sian sobs. She puts her face in her hands and her cries become slightly muffled. Sophie's heart stopped. She has waited to hear those three words again for 10 years. But it's not right. It doesn't make sense. Why would Sian be crying in front of the train station with what she assumes is a ticket in her hands because she loves Sophie? Beyond confused and highly annoyed at Sian's answer, Sophie yells.

"What the fuck, Sian?" Sian looks up, stunned by Sophie's blunt words.

"Don't fucking lie to me, Sian!" Sophie warns. She can't understand how they got here.

"I'm not lying, Sophie…" Sian tries to defend herself but it sounds weak in the midst of her tears.

"Bullshit. If you loved me you would have answered my bloody message this morning. You wouldn't have forced me to come chase you, almost sending me into a panic attack thinking you left. So why are you here Sian?"

"I didn't lie!" Sian's tone is desperate. "I…it's all just too much, Sophie. I didn't expect to see you again. I didn't expect to talk to you, nevermind go on a bloody date with you! A bloody perfect, romantic, amazing date, one I've been dreaming about for years. And I didn't expect to fall back in love with you, Sophie!"

"What's your point Sian?" Sophie retorts, annoyed that she still hasn't really explained herself.

"The point is that I'm scared! Okay?! I'm fucking scared to death. I didn't want all this to happen. Well…I did, I guess, subconsciously, but I wasn't prepared for it. I have a nice life in London. I have a job I love, great friends… and I could finally carry on with my life without the constant reminder of you everywhere I looked. I knew no one would compare to you but I finally got to the point where I could at least try to find someone. And then you come barging into my life again, ruining all of my progress, taking the last 10 years of my life away… And I'm just supposed to accept it?"

"Yes!" Sophie yells, not caring it was meant to be a rhetorical question.

Sian rolls her eyes but Sophie continues. "You're not the only one who is completely messed up by all this, Sian! And you're not the only one who's scared. I'm bloody terrified! And confused. And everything you are. But the one thing that scares me more than getting you back is pushing you away again."

Sian knows Sophie is right. This is hard on Sophie too, and she can't deny that. Sian lets Sophie's last words linger in the air for a few moments while she decides what to say.

"You're right." It's barely a whisper and Sophie isn't sure she hears it correctly.

"Huh?"

"You're right," Sian says slightly louder and Sophie silently cheers. "But you're brave, Soph." Sophie's face drops at Sian's words, sensing where this is going. "You're brave and strong and you never give up. And you could probably move on if something happened again…but I can't. I'm not brave like you…I wouldn't be okay if we picked up where we left off and then we broke up again. I just…I don't think it's worth the risk."

Sophie's heart shattered. In this moment she felt more pain than she had in the last 10 years. She was so close to getting Sian back…

Sophie tries to will her tears to retreat but it's no use. Sian's words stung too badly. Sophie looks at Sian, pleading with her eyes to reconsider and just give them a chance, but she knows it's no use. Sian made her decision: Sophie isn't worth it.

Sophie prepares herself to stand up and walk away when she sees the ticket that Sian is ruffling in her hands.

"Why do you still have that?" Sian hadn't realized she still had the expired train ticket in her hands.

"I missed the train…" Sian replied weakly.

"Why?" Sophie could see the time on the ticket was shortly before Sophie got to the train station. So why hadn't Sian gotten on the train?

"I…I don't know." She honestly didn't. Sian bought her ticket and sat confidently on the bench until her boarding call. But when she was supposed to leave, she couldn't move. She watched the train slowly pass by, leaving her behind. And she couldn't give a reason as to why she wasn't on that train.

Sophie recognized Sian's uncertainty and knew this was her chance.

"Sian, look at me." Thankfully, Sian didn't argue; she looked up directly into Sophie's bright blue eyes. "I know you're scared. And honestly, you have every right to be. But you are brave. Way braver than me. You came back for your dad. And you knew fully well that there was a good chance we'd run into each other. You gave a beautiful speech at your dad's funeral. You started letting me back in after all this time. And you conquered your fear of heights on the ferris wheel. You are strong. And brave. And you didn't get on that train because of that. You knew that this could work…" Sophie takes Sian's hands in her own. "We are worth the risk Sian…please…I promise I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you. Please, just… be brave one more time," Sophie pleads desperately. She sees the struggle written on Sian's face in the moments that pass and Sophie silently prays she is enough.

"Okay." Sian whispers, hesitantly.

"Okay?" Sophie needs to hear Sian say it again so she knows she's not imagining things.

"Okay," Sian says a little more confidently.

Sophie breaks out into a smile and she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Sian mimics Sophie's smile as she feels a huge weight lifted off her chest. She feels free.

Sophie immediately wraps her arms around Sian's neck and pulls her in for a hug.

"Thank you, Sian. Thank you," Sophie sniffles, trying to compose herself. Sian stays silent but smiles and squeezes Sophie tighter.

When they pull apart Sian wipes the tears out of her eyes and laughs to herself. She didn't think the day would end like this. She's overwhelmed to say the least. But she's happy. And that is one thing she definitely did not expect.

"So…what does this mean?" Sian asks, slightly nervous as to the finality of the answer.

"Well… I think it means you can answer my message now," Sophie jokes, earning a laugh from Sian.

"I think you're right," Sian agrees.

Sophie smiles back. "I love you, Sian."

"I love you too, Soph." Sophie would never get tired of hearing those words.


End file.
